Inside Look at Family/Youth Homelessness: Local Filmmaker, Former Shelter Director, Offers Insights and Solutions

Scholarly endeavors. Photo by Diane Nilan

[Naperville, June 25, 2019] School’s out, but for tens of thousands of kids across Illinois and millions across the country, their lifeline—school—is severed because they have no home. Twenty-five years after Illinois became the first state to remove barriers for homeless students, the work begun in the Fox Valley continues to pay off for students experiencing homelessness across the country. This subject will be highlighted at a film screening on July 12 in Naperville.

Diane Nilan, president of HEAR US Inc., a Naperville-based nonprofit, will share 2 of her short documentaries, a coast-to-coast look at 

Diane Nilan

homelessness—Washington State and New Hampshire—for the monthly Just Views film screening at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church. 

Nilan, former shelter director at Hesed House in Aurora, and a small group of activists, worked with Fox Valley area legislators to spearhead the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act which passed 25 years ago. Her film subjects frequently refer to the significance of the federal law that grew from the Illinois statute. 

Nilan’s been living in her van since 2005 and has traveled over 400,000 miles of mostly backroads through 48 mainland states and Hawaii (not in her R.V.), making dozens of films viewed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide about family and youth homelessness. State education departments hire her to film and produce these short documentaries to highlight the mostly invisible homeless student population. Her work has earned recognition from a variety of organizations. 

A quiet place to do school work just doesn't exist
for kids without homes.
Photo by Diane Nilan

Her documentaries give parents and youth the opportunity to share their stories, debunking many myths about homelessness. Nilan will also explain a legislative effort to address these problems: The Homeless Children and Youth Act -- legislation being considered by U.S. House Finance Committee.  Two Naperville area congresspersons, Bill Foster and Sean Casten, sit on this committee.

The audience will also learn about the HEAR US 2020 VisionQuest journey, launching from Naperville on July 20th. HEAR US VisionQuest 2020, a 9,000-mile, 25-state journey will call attention to invisible family and youth homelessness. 

EVENT DETAILS

This film screening begins at 7:20 pm, and it is free and open to the public. Just Views is sponsored by the DuPage Peace through Justice Coalition. The monthly event is held in Naperville at the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church at 1828 Old Naperville Road. Event organizers are Stephanie Hughes 630/ 420-4233; Associate Director is Carol Tritschler 630/961-0106.

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